As December fades in our rearview mirror and we welcome the land of possibilities that is January, it’s time to take a look back at the weeks that formed the twilight of 2018. Featuring the most influential and iconic moments from in and around the autistic community, here are the top 5 pieces of autism news from the last four weeks.

(As always, links to the full stories can be accessed by clicking on the red titles and the bold headings).

Honourable Mentions

While December has been a hectic month for the round man in the red pants, it’s also been a busy one for lab coat wearing academics making, announcements and discoveries galore. So, to bring you up to speed with everything you might have missed and to praise those smaller stories that often go unnoticed, here are some honourable mentions which didn’t make the cut for December’s autism news but are well worth reading anyway:

• New tests find that autistic children, with delayed language development, revert back to the average progression around the age of 4
• Greater activity in the self-reflection region of the brain may give a hint to why female autists are more likely to camouflage than males
• A Cambridgeshire comic store, run by autistic brothers, is offering autistic people work experience
• Tests reveal that exposure to plastic chemicals are not associated with autism
• Irn Bru Carnival announces autism-friendly sessions
• Study finds that autistic brains register social situations as less rewarding
• A family heard their autistic child laugh for the first time while watching the Christmas special of Mrs Brown’s Boys
• ‘Now This’ published a story on an autistic man who uses Babybel cheese wrappers to creates sculptures (and they are brie-llient…)

The Top 5 Autism News Pieces for December 2018:

5. 1988 Oscar Winner: Rain Man turns 30

On the 6^th of this month, the autism community celebrated, lamented, acknowledged the 30th anniversary of the unshakable presence that is Rain Man – a  film about two brothers: the charismatic Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) and his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) as the unlikely duo travel across America: shaking down casinos, chatting up hookers and, on more than one occasion, causing mass road pile-ups in suburban towns (or at least that’s how I remember the film).

Joking aside though, Rain Man has been a huge influence in autism awareness since its initial release and while, yes, this hasn’t always been a good thing for autistic people, I still believe it’s overall positive message makes it worthy of its Oscar win for 1988  (even if it did somehow beat the Eddie Murphy classic that is ‘Coming to America’!).

4. New Autism Course available to Canadian Police

2018 has been a good year for Canucks on the spectrum (what with the Canadian Government pledging $20m to support autism families back in April) and now just days before year-end, the maple nation is again in the headlines for their work changing autistic lives.

Constructed as part of the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN), in December, it was announced that Toronto police officers will have free access to online courses for communicating with autistic people. Given that rarely a day goes by that I don’t read of some unfortunate circumstance which has arisen due to public sector workers mishandling of an autistic person, this is something well worth highlighting. However, what’s really worth praising is that, this recent news confirms that Canada really does plan to deliver on its promises to improve support for autistic citizens.

3. The World goes Autism-Friendly for Christmas

While December may be the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also fair to say that it’s the most disruptive. Schedules vanish into thin air, flicking lights don every rooftop and steadfast shoppers armed with pointed elbows give a whole new meaning to ‘beat the crowds’.

However, while these unavoidable issues have become ‘tradition’ it’s been an incredible joy to hear and see how many locations around the world have made adjustments this year to support shoppers and celebrators on the spectrum; with autism-friendly shopping slots, autism-friendly stage performances and, of course, sensory-friendly Santas.

Naturally, this has caused some people to claim that the autistic community are ‘toning down other’s fun for the minority’, but from looking at the adjustments which have been made, this year has demonstrated how something as simple and unobtrusive as adding a quiet zone can make a huge difference without affecting others.

2. Revolutionary Autism Drugs are Fast-Tracked

Anyone who spends more than a few moments within the autistic community will know by now that autistic people don’t want a cure for autism, we want treatment for the things which stand in the way of us fully embracing our differences. Now with the announcement that new forms of the drugs: Risperidone and Aripripazole have been fast-tracked, it seems we aren’t far from getting this.

The two drugs, which are said to be the first of their kind, aim to tackle communication skills in autistic people and from what I have seen/been able to understand, both are showing extremely promising results. For obvious reasons, the speed in which we can get hold of these ‘breakthrough’ pills, shouldn’t take priority over ensuring the safety of them. However, if they are deemed fool-proof (and can bypass a frustrating political complication which stands in there way), then this announcement really could be a monumental change for our community.

1. Autism Advocates Feature in New Year’s Honours

As is customary in December, last month good ol’ Queen Liz announced who she would be recognising in her annual New Year’s Honours (a list of people who went above and beyond in the UK for the prestige of being able to whack a title such as OBE, MBE or Dame/Sir at the end of all of their credit cards).

For those well embedded in the autism community, the list of names was a welcome way to finish off the year as, amongst its many praiseworthy entries, there were a few familiar faces, including:

• Jessica Kingsley: Founder of Jessica Kingsley Publishings, a publisher responsible for many diverse stories representing people across the spectrum (and more)
• Victoria Jane McCarthy: Director at Reach for Autism
• Chris Packham: Wildlife savant and ambassador for National Autistic Society

To me, hearing that all these incredible advocates would receive one of the highest commendations within the UK was nothing short of the perfect way to finish what has been an excellent year for the community. I look forward to following up this story when these hardworking heroes take their trips to Buckingham Palace later on in the year.

Carry on the Conversation:

What were your highlights of December? Let me know in the comments below. And, while you’re in the remembering spirit, why not check out my last article in which I discussed The BIGGEST and BEST moments from the Autistic Community in 2018?

As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.

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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.